Dead Beside The Thames (Casebook of Barnaby Adair #7)

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Q uite by chance and somewhat unexpectedly, those who had accompanied Penelope and Barnaby from Mayfair to the Drunken Duck to witness the culmination of the search for Viscount Sedbury’s murderer reconvened that evening in Lady Conningham’s ballroom.

Stokes, of course, wasn’t present, but her ladyship’s ball was a select affair, and attendance by the likes of the Hales and the Adairs was virtually compulsory.

When, having reached the ballroom’s foyer, Penelope and Barnaby approached their host and hostess, Lady Conningham welcomed them with near-rapturous delight. “My dears! We are all so relieved!”

The commissioner had been at pains to ensure that the news of Viscount Sedbury’s murder had been reconfirmed in the evening news sheets together with the information that Sedbury had instigated a fight in a dockside area and had died as a result of injuries received, and his body tipped into the river. The public had been assured that due to the quick work of Inspector Basil Stokes, assisted by Mr. and Mrs. Adair, the viscount’s murderer had been apprehended, and Scotland Yard considered the case successfully closed.

Lord Conningham echoed his wife’s sentiments. “Huge weight off so many shoulders, y’know?” He shook Barnaby’s hand. “Well done!”

Barnaby and Penelope shared a laughing glance and, after exchanging a few words about their respective families, parted from the Conninghams and descended the stairs to join the throng of other guests.

They had barely gained the ballroom floor when Jonathon materialized from the crowd and, his face lit by a smile that was more relaxed and genuine than anything Penelope had previously seen from him, planted himself before them.

After the briefest of greetings, he said, “We thought you should know—m’father and I went back to the Drunken Duck this afternoon and met with Weatherspoon and settled the matter of restitution over Millie’s death.” A cloud passed over Jonathon’s open face, then he cleared his throat and, raising his chin a trifle, stated, “We also set up a way for Weatherspoon to contact our solicitor in London directly, regarding all the other claims, of which we expect there will be many.” He met Penelope’s and Barnaby’s eyes. “Sedbury was an unmitigated villain, and the family can’t just bury the results. We need to set all right, or at least as right as we can.”

Penelope smiled encouragingly. “That’s commendable and also very wise. The burden of Sedbury’s actions should not be a weight you and the others carry forward.” She pointed at the black armband Jonathon wore. “Should I take it the family is not going into full mourning?”

Jonathon glanced at the band. “We decided we couldn’t be that hypocritical—that false. M’father, Bryan, and I opted for armbands—it’s at least an acknowledgment of a death in the family. Mama and Claude have opted to wear muted colors for a month, but none of us felt it appropriate to retreat from society.” He smiled. “Not even for one night.”

Barnaby nodded. “Impossible to mourn when, in fact, everyone is rejoicing.”

“Exactly.” Jonathon raised his head; his smile hadn’t dimmed. “And of course, it’s not just us.”

“Indeed,” Penelope said. “I seriously doubt that even the most censorious hostess will comment adversely. Too many in the ton know what Sedbury was like, and as you say, in the wake of his passing, society as a whole feels buoyed.” Nonetheless, she made a mental note to check with her usual sources.

Barnaby, too, was smiling. “Now that you are your father’s heir, what are your thoughts about taking up Sedbury’s title?”

Jonathon shuddered. “No, thank you. Luckily, Papa has another I can use, and we’ve agreed I should simply be Viscount Hale.” He smiled. “And without the bane of Sedbury hanging over my head, I might even be able to venture forth and find a bride.”

Penelope beamed. “I predict you’ll have no trouble finding a suitable young lady.” In fact, she would make sure of it.

Faintly bashful, Jonathon shrugged, and with good wishes all around, they let him go.

Barnaby chuckled softly as they moved into the crowd. “So now you have another challenge before you.”

“Pfft!” Penelope responded. “Finding a bride for him now will be more a matter of beating off the unsuitable hordes. Remind me that I must call on the marchioness before she and the marquess leave town.”

As it transpired, Penelope didn’t have to remember anything.

Ten minutes of wandering through the crowd, many of whom seized the chance to quiz them on the case, brought them face to face with the Rattenbys.

“My dears,” the marchioness said as soon as the exchange of greetings was complete, “I want to most sincerely thank you for all your help in resolving this so-distasteful matter. Your assistance in dissipating the ominous cloud that has hung over the family and our children’s futures for so long leaves us forever in your debt.”

Rattenby nodded. “Quite so. I have to say I was deeply impressed by the dogged team effort that prevailed.” His gray gaze was shrewd as it rested on Barnaby’s and Penelope’s faces. “You and Inspector Stokes have formed a formidable partnership, and for that, you are to be congratulated.”

They would have politely demurred, but the marchioness leapt in to say, “As I told Gerrard”—she clasped her husband’s arm—“paying restitution is all very well and should definitely be done, but that’s in the nature of putting the past to rest, and we should, in all thanks, also do something, take some positive step, that will impact the future.” The marchioness arched her brows inquiringly. “I’ve been told, Penelope, that you have interests in various charities, and I wondered if you could direct us toward one that might suit our purpose.”

Penelope didn’t have to think. “Actually”—she shot a glance at Barnaby—“Barnaby’s lads’ network was instrumental, critically so, in solving the Sedbury case, and I believe the time has come to discuss setting up a foundation, one that would encourage the brightest lads to further their development by underwriting their employment in, for instance, the police force or the inquiry agency business.” She looked at the Rattenbys. “We have excellent contacts in both fields, and some of the lads have the potential to go far. They really are quite bright.”

Rattenby was nodding, and the marchioness looked eager.

Regarding his wife with a faintly fascinated smile, Barnaby admitted, “Assistance with their living expenses for their first years of employment would go a long way to encouraging them to pursue further advancement.”

Rattenby gave a more decisive nod. “By all means, let’s pursue that tack. Perhaps we can call on you in the coming days, before we return to Gloucestershire.”

They made arrangements to meet the next week, then parted, and Barnaby guided Penelope on.

“That was an excellent idea,” Barnaby murmured, his eyes dancing. “Have you been incubating it for long?”

Smiling brightly, Penelope admitted, “Only since this case. The lads were such a help, it seems foolish not to advance your network onto a more formal footing.”

Soon after, through the crowd, they spotted several of her usual sources gathered on long sofas at the end of the room. Knowing that a report would be expected, she and Barnaby dutifully presented themselves to the older ladies and meekly submitted to their inquisition.

When the exclamations and congratulations came to an end and Penelope inquired as to how the Hales’ rejection of mourning was being received, Lady Osbaldestone was quick to reassure her, “No need to worry on that score. Everyone else is so relieved, we’re all quite happy to see the family regaining their feet, as it were.”

Horatia confided, “We’re hoping to convince Georgina Hale that she should join us in London more often.”

Relieved that, on the social front, all was well, Penelope and Barnaby moved on.

The strains of a waltz rose over the guests’ heads, and after exchanging a glance, they made their way to the dance floor.

Once they were revolving, circling the cleared space, Barnaby surveyed the other dancers, then dipped his head to tell Penelope, “Look ahead. Three couples on.”

He waited for her reaction and wasn’t disappointed.

“Great heavens!” She leaned back in his arms to peer around the intervening pairs at the couple in question. “That really is Charlie! He’s waltzing! I’ve never been sure he could, much less would.”

“It seems,” Barnaby said, equally amused by her comments and by seeing his friend circling rather carefully with Claudia, “that he merely needed the right encouragement.”

“I did wonder.” Penelope settled in Barnaby’s arms and fixed her gaze on his face. “Do you think he’s truly taken with Claudia? Because she’s so…well, managing, I wasn’t sure that she hadn’t merely conscripted Charlie for the duration, as it were, so that via him, she could remain involved in the investigation, and that once we solved the case, she would calmly bid him goodbye, and that would be the end of it.”

His gaze returning to Charlie and Claudia, Barnaby smiled. “That doesn’t appear to be the case. If anything, they seem equally smitten. I believe we can reasonably expect an invitation in due course.”

Penelope beamed. “Wonderful! And for once, I didn’t have to prod anyone.” She glanced at the crowd around them. “Lady Conningham will be ecstatic, and so will Mrs. Hastings! They’re quite good friends, which is another nice touch.”

“Indeed.” Barnaby gathered his wife closer as they went through the turn and, knowing her as he did, wondered what she would do next regarding Charlie and Claudia.

Sure enough, when the music ended and the dancers halted, Penelope all but towed him across to where Charlie and Claudia stood.

They exchanged delighted greetings, then supper was announced, and with the bulk of the guests, the four of them moved into the supper room. By dint of superior strategy, they secured a table for four in one corner and settled to nibble on the delicacies provided, sip champagne, and catch up with the ramifications of the revelations gained at the Drunken Duck.

“I cannot adequately describe,” Claudia said, “the depth of the relief that everyone in the family is feeling. Aunt Patricia was so affected, she actually cried. What with being constantly in town, I believe she’d sensed for longer than anyone that Sedbury had gone quite beyond the pale, and she’d been so worried he would do something that would bring the entire family down, but of course, she felt helpless to do anything about it.”

Charlie put in, “Even your uncle described the event—Sedbury’s death without any ensuing scandal—as having lifted a pall from not just your family but his household as well.”

“I think,” Claudia said, “that we’d all grown so accustomed to the pressure, to the weight of Sedbury’s threat, that having that suddenly removed has left us all feeling light and airy and rather giddy.” She smiled at Charlie. “You know what I mean.”

Penelope watched Charlie readily nod and smiled to herself. Barnaby had been right in thinking wedding bells featured in Claudia and Charlie’s future.

Charlie turned to Penelope and Barnaby. “Here, I say, as the original prime suspect, I want to thank you both for steering our ship through this case. I’m truly grateful you were there for me to appeal to. I don’t know what I—or Stokes, for that matter—would have done without you.”

Penelope smiled, and smiling, too, Barnaby replied, “You’re very welcome, and we enjoyed the challenge.”

Penelope quipped, “Do feel free to bring any future accusations and crimes to our door.”

Claudia shuddered. “I sincerely hope to never be involved in a murder investigation again.”

Penelope shared a smile with Barnaby and made no comment.

Charlie said, “I was talking with Napier earlier, and he, too, was hugely relieved to learn that the Sedbury case is closed. He pointed out that there’s no saying how many Sedbury blackmailed over the years and knowing that the threat of his continued malevolence has been permanently removed will, in all likelihood, be a huge blessing to a large number of our peers.”

With a proud smile for Charlie, Claudia said, “Lord Napier and Charlie have suggested that the family consider donating Sedbury’s whip collection to a museum.”

“Or perhaps the Jockey Club,” Charlie said, faintly coloring under Claudia’s regard. “Some place like that where the collection will be appreciated.”

“Given the collection is of whips, the Jockey Club might be best.” Penelope looked at Barnaby.

He nodded. “And if you do decide on approaching the Jockey Club or the British Museum, do remember we have connections at both, which might be of some help.”

“Thank you.” Claudia looked a touch relieved. “We’ll likely take you up on that. I’ll tell Jonathon—Papa put him in charge of the dispersal of Sedbury’s possessions.”

With supper consumed, they rose and strolled back into the ballroom. At Penelope’s suggestion, she and Claudia parted from the men and went in search of the ladies’ withdrawing room.

Once in the corridor and away from any interested ears, Penelope asked, “What are your plans? Will you remain in London or accompany your parents on their return to Rattenby?”

Claudia met Penelope’s eyes, then drew breath and said, “I wanted to ask—you’re in a position to advise me—would Charlie Hastings be considered a suitable match for me?”

Penelope could barely contain her delight. “He would, indeed. The Hastingses might not carry a title—or at least, his branch don’t—but the family is ancient. Indeed, they’re every bit as much a part of the fabric of English nobility as the Hales or the Adairs.”

Claudia exhaled in relief. “Thank goodness. I suddenly wondered if I was…well, drawing him along a path that ultimately couldn’t lead anywhere.”

Penelope pressed Claudia’s hand. “Speak to your mother. I’m sure she’ll be encouraging.”

“I’m hoping to be able to invite Charlie to visit Rattenby next month,” Claudia confided. “We have quite good shooting, and a shooting party might be the right sort of event to introduce him to the wider family.”

“An excellent notion,” Penelope concurred. “I know he’s quite a good shot.”

They’d reached the withdrawing room and had to pause their confidences while there were other ladies around. But when they were on their way back to the ballroom and once again alone, Claudia said, “I’ve been waiting for years to find a suitable gentleman, but with Sedbury hovering, I never felt able to step forward. It seems quite ironic that it was Sedbury’s murder that brought me and Charlie together.”

Penelope smiled and nodded. “Ironic, indeed. In the best way.”

Smiling in faintly bemused fashion, Claudia shook her head. “While I’ve been hoping to find a husband, until I met Charlie, I’d never met a man with whom I could imagine living a future life, but Charlie… I find him restful yet entertaining and, overall, rather absorbing.”

“That’s a very good recommendation,” Penelope said as they stepped back into the crowded ballroom. “Now, where are our men?”

The men in question, being more than experienced enough not to stand still and invite others to approach them, had been idly strolling around the perimeter of the large room. They’d discussed this and that, but being such old friends, they were also comfortable sharing long silences.

Breaking one such silence, Charlie confided, “With Claudia, you know, I can see the path she and I are strolling amiably along, and I understand where that path inevitably leads. Yet despite that knowledge, to my astonishment, I don’t feel like fleeing.” He tipped his head to glance at Barnaby and met his eyes. “That’s telling, isn’t it? It says something, y’know?”

Barnaby had to work to mute his smile. “I do, indeed.” Unable to resist, he clapped Charlie on the shoulder. “Good luck, old man, and I fully expect to shortly be saying ‘Welcome to the club.’”

Charlie grinned rather foolishly. “Well, then. Onward we go.”

Later, when he and Charlie had been found by their respective ladies just in time to join the couples on the dance floor in another waltz, Barnaby looked into his wife’s shining eyes. “It seems Charlie and Claudia are inching toward a declaration.”

Penelope’s smile was reminiscent of a cat that had devoured an entire jug of cream. “They are.” She sighed deeply. “And I couldn’t be happier for them. I predict they’ll make an excellent match.”

Barnaby smiled and kept them whirling.

A few revolutions later, Penelope sighed again, this time with even deeper satisfaction.

Barnaby looked into her face and cocked an inquiring brow.

She smiled in obvious contentment. “It’s so lovely when cases turn out just right.”

Two days later, Barnaby and Penelope were enjoying a leisurely breakfast when the doorbell rang. Both tilted their heads, listening, and heard a familiar voice greet Mostyn, then, seconds later, Stokes walked in.

Smiling, he nodded to them both. “Good morning, you two.”

Occupied with a mouthful of eggs, Barnaby nodded.

“And to you,” Penelope returned and waved Stokes to the third chair at the table.

He drew out the chair and sat before the third place setting Mostyn had got into the habit of laying just in case Stokes turned up. Stokes eyed the platters, then helped himself.

Penelope waited, curious as to what had brought him there. If it had been a case, he’d have said by now, so…

After savoring his first mouthful and thanking Mostyn, who had hurried in to fill his coffee cup, Stokes turned his gaze on his hosts. “I cannot convey with sufficient emphasis how sincerely relieved and, indeed, happy the commissioner is with the outcome of the Sedbury case. Apparently, the marquess has heaped laurels on all our heads and impressed on the commissioner that, despite the case having more to do with those who live on the docks than those who inhabit Mayfair, the contributions made by the pair of you and your supporters were crucial to our joint success.”

Stokes met their gazes. “When appealed to for my opinion, I echoed the marquess’s accolades.” His smile deepened. “You may now expect to be called upon with even greater frequency, and I’ve been informed that, henceforth, I should consider drawing you in as consultants even if the case has no connection to higher society.”

Barnaby arched his brows. “Is that so?”

Stokes nodded.

“How intriguing,” Penelope said, her tone indicating that she was already scheming.

Stokes waved his fork. “The commissioner suggested that any, in his words, twisty case would, in his view, be a candidate for your attention.” Stokes looked across the table and smiled. “So how do you feel about making yourselves available on a wider basis?” He reached for his cup and took a sip, watching them over the rim.

Penelope looked at Barnaby, read the naked interest in his eyes, and let her very real enthusiasm show.

She turned her gaze on Stokes. “With the obvious contingency of family demands, I’m sure we can manage to make time should you have more twisty mysteries to solve.”

Stokes lowered his cup, and his smile broke slow and deep. “Excellent.” He set down the cup. “In that case…”